Sound film printer and recorder



Dec. 22, 1942. Q BATSEL 2,305,837

SOUND FILM PRINTER AND RECORDER Filed Nov. 22, 1940 gjwgewtoz CFC 4 JV: BA 7551.,

3% Q4 4%Z/W I i is supplied from a reel Patented Dec. 22, 1942 oesu N. Batsel,

North Hollywood, Calif., assignor to Radio Corporation of America, a corporation of Delaware Application November 22, 194i), Serial No. 366,590 9 Claims. (Cl. 179-1003) In the art of motion picture sound recording and reproduction, it has become desirable to control the amplitude of the reproduced sound to enhance the dramatic eilects of the picture being projected. It is .also desirable to control the amplitude of the reproduced record in cases where the original record has been compressed and recorded at a more or less uniform level. The present invention is directed to a system for the recording of the control record during the printingoperation oi the regular sound track. Thus, during 'rerecording oi the sound record, a one sheet may be made to indicate the points at which changes should occur inthe reproduced sound level. From these cues the sound film negative is marked or modified in any suitable manner to actuate a recorder operating during the operation of printing the negative to the positive film. 1

The principal o ject of the invention, therefore, is to facilitate the recording of an amplitude or level control track for the reproduction of a sound film.

Another object of the invention is. to simultaneously print a sound record track and record a control track for the sound record track. 1

Another object of the invention is to simultaneously impress a sound record film with a sound record and a control track therefor.

Another object of the invention is to control the rate of change of variations made in the control track. i

Another object of the invention is to record a control track for a sound track being simultaneously printed, the recording being under control oi the negative sound film.

Although the novel features which-are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be pointed out with parti ularity in the appended claims, the manner of its organization and themode of its operation will be better understood by referring to the following description read in conjunction with the accompanying drawing forming a part thereof, in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic view 01 a sound track printing system embodyin the invention; and Fig. 2 is a detail view of a section of the film produced by the invention.

. the next resistance, and the shutter 26 will be po- Referring to Fig.1, a negative sound track film t around a printing roller 1 having pad rollers 8 and! associated originating from the light modulator therewith, and is taken up by a takeup reel ll after passing through a contact film switch l2. In contact with the negative at the translation point i3 is a positive film ll supplied from a reel l5 and taken up by a reel It. on the negative by light from a source i8 projected to the negative by lenses l9. Such a contact film printing system is well known in the art, this system being adapted to print either variable area or variable density sound tracks. 1

Simultaneously with the exposing of the positive M at the point IS, the positive is also subjected to a light beam at a point 2|, this light a source 22 and being projected lenses 23 and 24. The amount of light passing to the film M is controlled by a triangular shutter 26 adapted to be moved in front of a slit 21 in a, mask 28. The shutter 26 is actuated by a solenoid 30 ductors 3| through a timing circuit 32 to a control box 34. Conductors 35 connect the timing circuit 32 with the control box 3|, in which a source of energy supply 36 is included. Although has been shown as a triangular shutter operated by a solenoid across a slit, it is to be understood that other types of light modulations well known in the art may be employed, such as galvanometers, light valves and the like.

The control box 34 to the film II by The soundtrack 5 is printed on tie positive M connected by conhas mounted thereon a trip relay which is connected by conductors 38.

to the film contact device H, in which circuit a source of energy 39 is included. Relay is an impulse release relay for a contacting element 4| which, when released, will drop one notch to contact in a serial order a plurality of resistance elements 42. The resistance elements may be varied in value by a respective plurality of sliders Q3. The resistance elements are adapted to be connected in the energy supply circuit of solenoid 30, the amount'of resistance in the circuit controlling the position of the shutter 26 in front of the slit 31. Thus, as an impulse is received at the relay 40, the contactor II will be dropped to sitioned at a point determined by the presetting of respective sliders 43. The contactor l2 may be operated by notches in the negative 5 or by electrical conducting patches, and thus the arrival of each patch or notch at switch 12 will actuate the relay 40 to drop the contactor ll to the next resistance element. The rate of impression of the increased or decreased voltage on the solenoid is controlled by the timing circuit 32 so that a gradual fected in the control In Fig. 2, the efiect of the timing circuit is shown on the control track 46 by the gradual narrowing or widening of the dark areas between sprocket perforations, this film also showing a sound track 45 along with the control track. It is to be noted that although the positive I4 is being printed from a negative, the control track exposure is such that transparency between sprocket holes corresponds to minimum amplification, increasing opaqueness increasing the gain of the reproducing circuit. In this arrangement, dirt or other extraneous modifications to the clear area will only be effective at minimum gain.

Thus, from the cue sheet mentioned above, the negative is notched or patched to actuate the switch l2, and the sliders 43 are adjusted in accordance with the reproduced level desired for a particular section of the sound track. Should it be desired to increase or decrease the level gradually over a section of the sound track, the sliders 43 may be set to do this in a series of uniform steps, the speed at which each step is connected into the circuit being controlled by the positionincrease or decrease is eftrack.

ing of the notches or patches on the negative 5.

Rapid increases or decreases may be accomplished in fewer steps with a greater variation between adjacent sliders 43, the timing circuit 32 producing a uniform increase or decrease between adjustments.

Although the recording light for the control track is shown in Fig. l as impressed on the opposite side of the positive from that of the negative printing light, it is to be understood that both light sources may be on the same side of the positive, or a split beam system from a single light source may be employed. The position of the notches or patches in the negative 5 will be such as to correspond to the longitudinal displacement of the reproducing translating points for the respective tracks as shown in copending application Serial No. 366,589, filed Nov. 22, 1940.

Thus, the printer just described prints a positive from a negative and simultaneously records a control track, the recording operation being under control of the negative sound track film. A separate control film may also be employed for operating the recording shutter 26, it being understood that the shutter may also be manually operated through a potentiometer or rheostat.

I claim as my invention: v 1. Sound motion picture apparatus comprising a negative film having a sound track thereon, a

positive film, means for producing a light beam,

means for varying said light beam by only the sound track on said negative film as impressed on said positive film, means for producing a second light beam, means pressing another portion of said positive film with said second light beam, and means independent of but controlled by modifications to said negative film for modulating said second light beam during the printing of said positive film from said negative film, said control being independent of the actual amplitude variations of said sound track.

for simultaneously im- 2. Sound motion picture apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said last-mentioned means comprises a variable resistance box adapted to vary the amount of said second light beam reaching said positive fihn in accordance with predetermined modifications of said negative film.

3. Sound motion picture apparatus in accordance with claim 1 in which said second light beam modulating means includes means for varying the width of said light beam impressed on said film in accordance with predetermined modifications of said negative film.

4. A system for printing a sound track from a negative film to a positive film and simultaneously and independently recording acontrol track on said positive film for said sound track, comprising a sound motion picture printer for printing said negative to said-positive, a source of light, means for directly and mechanically modulating said light, means for actuating said modulation means, and means independent of the amplitude variations of said sound track on said negative film for operating said last-mentioned means.

5. A system for simultaneously printing a sound track and a control record therefor to a positive film comprising means for exposing said positive film to light modulated by the sound track on said negative film, and means for light impressing said positive film outside the sound trackarea with light varying in accordance with the predetermined variations in amplitude of said negative sound track, said last-mentioned means comprising aseparate and independent light modulator, means for actuating said modulator, and means for controlling said actuating means by modifications in said negative fihn independent of the amplitude variations of said sound track.

6. A system in accordance with claim 5, in which a timing circuit is interposed between said light modulating means and said actuating means for controlling the rate of change in the actuation of said modulating means.

7. The method of producing a film printcontaining a sound track and control track therefor comprising printing a positive print of said sound track from a negative sound track film having said sound track thereon and simultaneously light impressing said positive film with light independently modulated in accordance with desired amplitude variations under control 01' modifications to the negative sound track film being printed independent of the actual amplitude variations of said sound track.

8. The method of producing a motion picture .print of a sound track and a control track comprising light impressing said print with light modulated only by a negative sound track and simultaneously impressing said print vwith directly modulated light, said last-mentioned light impression being controlled independently of the amplitude variations of said sound track.

9. The method in accordance with claim 8 in which said last-mentioned light impression is under control of predetermined modifications to said sound track negative film.

' CECIL N. BATSEL. 

